February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Ray O’Hanlon
Six members of the first group of Walsh Visa winners to arrive on U.S. soil have already worn out Uncle Sam’s welcome.
Two have been flown back to Ireland and four have gone AWOL and are being sought by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
According to a source closely involved with the visa program, the six were among a party of 10 visa holders from the Dundalk area of County Louth.
Walsh visa holders are assigned specific jobs for the three-year period they are allowed work in the U.S. They are expected to show up for work from day one.
And now there are worries that any more no-shows at work could have an adverse impact on the working of the visa program in the coming months.
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"If you come here with a Walsh Visa, it’s an opportunity to work and learn. This is not an aid or welfare program," a congressional source said.
The six no-shows were among the initial group of 77 visa winners who have been assigned to companies based in the Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia area.
The congressional source expressed concern that any large-scale failure to show up for work could incur the wrath of Congressman Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Immigration Sub-Committee.
Smith has been hostile in the past toward granting large numbers of visas to Ireland and other European countries.
Despite the fact that the Walsh Visa is a non-immigrant visa, the source added that any large-scale problems could also adversely affect the flow of federal funding for the program.
"This program is not for dreamers," the source said.